E.M. Thomas's Blog, page 3

The Bulls of War: The (early) verdict is in...

If the above dramatization of people reading and discussingThe Bulls of Wardidn't give it away, then I'll just go ahead and say it - the reviews have started coming in:“Outstanding, a story you’ll want to explore”“He has created an entire world on the scale of George R. R. Martin’sGame of Thrones”“Stripped down to the bone, this is a story of friendship.”“The Bulls of Waris an intense book based on war. In fact the war scene dominates everything else and so a person must be prepared for it before buying the book”“Note to the author - I can’t wait to read the next instalment [sic] of this gripping saga.”“Thomas delivers it in a realistic, raw, grand manner. At times we get lost in the names and places – but try watchingGame of Thrones: Thomas’ tale makes more sense, is easier to follow, and has more inherent depth – fantasy though it be.”Now I’m happy to see reviews in the first place, but ecstatic that they’ve trended so positive thus far, averaging 4.6/5.0 onAmazon.  As indie authors well know, the harsh truth is that many of the sites through which we can promote our works are strictly dependent on the quantity of reviews, the quality of reviews, and the ratings attached thereto; some services relax their standards as the quantity builds up, but I’ve yet to find one that permits submissions below a 3.5 rating.  Long-winded way of saying – so far, so good.***I’d be remiss if I didn’t use this context to make a request of myBullsreaders – if you’ve read the book, I would greatly appreciate you taking the time to leave a quick, honest reviewhere.  As I mentioned, reviews are really the lifeblood of any author, indie or otherwise.***The quoted snippets above are from some of my favorite comments I’ve seen thus far.  I’ve always found it interesting seeing how different people interpret the same story in varying ways – one of the reasons I’ve always been a Metacritic disciple – butespeciallyso when it’s my story.  In any event, some stream of consciousness thoughts about the comments above:TheGame of Thronescomparisons I love; I adore that series, adore that show, and if I had to give a one sentence comparison ofThe Bulls of Warto any existing series, I’d say it’sGoTwith a Ancient Roman twist.“Stripped down to the bone, this is a story of friendship.”If I knew the HTML for the thumbs up emoji, it would go here.“The Bulls of Waris an intense book based on war… a person must be prepared for it before buying.”I’m not going to lie, I love writing battles.  In the earliest iterations of this story, I’d filled up a spiral notebook (remember those?) just with battles that had taken place in what would become Andervold.  I don’t like excess for the sake of excess, but I also don’t like shying away from what ancient and medieval styles of combat were like, at least as I understand them.“…can’t wait to read the next instalment…”  Me too, my friend, me too.  I have so, SO much in store for Book 2 (and 3 for that matter), just stay tuned.Non-SequitursThe Night Of: finished it and don’t feel much differently about it.  I’d give it a C, as there were some outstanding individual performances (Detective Box (Bill Camp) especially), but some of the other actors were wasted in my opinion.  The lead (Riz Ahmed) was given very little to work with but did well with what he had.  I dunno, I just didn’t find the series to be much different than a drawn outLaw & Orderepisode, but I know a lot of people that really liked it.  Others said the British original is far superior.Also caughtThe Revenantfinally.  One of the most beautifully shot films I’ve seen in a very, very long time.  Reminded me ofLast of the Mohicansin terms of the magnificent landscape views, and the almost first-person way the director filmed those attack scenes (the bear (!) and the war party raids) was just stunning.  Really wish I’d seen it on IMAX.  The plot was a little vague at times, so I’d give it a B overall, but I would watch again just for the imagery.-EMT(picture credit: Wix)

The Bulls of War in Tonight's Top 10* List!

The Bulls of War in Tonight's Top 10* List!Top what!?Look, I know I've mentioned Amazon rankings in each of my last two blog posts and I’m no more of a fan of repetitive headlines than you are, but come on: Top 10?  Top 150 in the broader fantasy category?  I have to mention that somehow. But at the risk of repeating myself, I’ll leave it that it’s just great to seeThe Bulls of Warcontinue its climb to the upper tier of Amazon’s rankings*, and hope it’s nothing but a sign of things to come – and hopefully it’s a sign that my goal of Top 50 overall draws ever closer… 93 spots to go.  Lest it go unsaid, thank you for all of those that have helped make this happen!It’s also nice to see some additional reader praise coming in.  Procuring Amazon reader reviews is one of those recurring challenges that any independent author will kvetch about, but the reality is folks are busy and don’t always feel like committing the time and resources to do it.  I’m guilty of it as much as anyone; most of the authors of my favorite books remain unaware of my fondness for their works, at least through the medium of the heralded Amazon comment section.  Oh, for shame.In any event,The Bulls of Warreceived a nicely prosed five-star review from a “Hall of Fame[r]”, “Top 100 Reviewer”, and “Vine Voice” (all Amazon terms) today, which I cherry pick from here:“This epic novel is the stuff of dreams of past times and Thomas delivers it in a realistic, raw, grand manner. At times we get lost in the names and places – but try watching Game of Thrones: Thomas’ tale makes more sense, is easier to follow, and has more inherent depth – fantasy though it be. This is a genre for lovers of big tales. It will not disappoint.”High praise and much appreciated.  And to the extent any of you have had a chance to take a look atBulls, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave your thoughts on itsAmazon pageas well.  Every little bit helps, but it’s also nice just to hear your thoughts on the novel.  Just clickhere...Let there be paper…The other big piece of news this week is the completion and availability ofThe Bulls of Warin paperback!  Though I’m a self-professed e-book convert, I’ll be the first to admit that there is still something to the experience of holding a book in hand.  Now the process of providing that experience in the case of Bulls is slightly less, uh, enjoyable?  I.e., getting the precise formatting in place for all images and the manuscript itself was an incredible exercise in tedium, albeit a necessary one.  In any event, I’m happy with how it turned out:Non SequitursThe Night Of(HBO): meh, just not feeling it.  The show’s overall statement about the creation of criminals through the American criminal justice system is poignant and demands insight, but taken as produced, the show is lacking.  At the risk of providing spoilers, I’ll hold off on any further detailed analysis, but I’m hoping for a ‘wow’ season finale next week.So excited for Season 2 ofNarcoscoming soon.  New trailer just came out.  If you are looking for something to tide you over til then, I highly recommendPeaky Blinders, also on Netflix. It’s about organized crime in Post-World War I England, the IRA, and loads of other good stuff.  Just watch it.

The Bulls of War is Ranked! (i.e., it's in Amazon's Top 25*)

The Bulls of War is Ranked! (i.e. it's in Amazon's Top 25*)More good news fromThe Bulls of Warfront and some non sequitur musings to go along with it.Top 25 on AmazonThe Bulls of War’s climb up the Amazon fantasy rankings continues at breakneck speed – or maybe a steady pace, but breakneck sounds more impressive, and it’s all about marketing, right?  In the Myth/Greek & Roman/Fantasy department, it’s broken into the Top 25, which to put in college football/basketball terms means: I’m ranked!In the overall Fantasy rankings, I’ve vaulted into the vaunted Top 460, which in college football/basketball terms means: ______.  But in Fortune 500 terms means… um, I’ll drop the analogies, and just leave it that 460 for my epic fantasy out of thousands (?) makes me happy.  My goal of Top 50 overall looms ever closer, only 410 spots to go, down from 664.Marketing StuffMy marketing efforts have continued at the local level and far beyond, and hope to share more of the fruit of those endeavors in the coming days and weeks.  For those authors out there that are a little earlier in the process than this, there is simply a staggering amount of information available if you are trying to figure out where to start, to say nothing of the many online forums and groups dedicated to the same purpose.  Send me a note if you’d like to discuss further.Free Kindle Books and TipsI had a nice spot in theFree Kindle Books and Tipsnewsletter today, click the link above to see it on the site.  For the uninitiated,FKBTis a great, informative site with an even better newsletter which parses through the hundreds (probably being charitable here) of new books hitting Amazon every day.Non SequitursIn the narrow windows between everything else going on, I found time to catch (read: binge) the Netflix seriesStranger Things, and would be remiss not to pass on my thoughts.  I’d give it a B overall – it’s a great throwback piece to those children of the 80s like myself, reminiscent of and a homage to Goonies/E.T. and other films of the era in the Spielberg-ian mold.  It goes beyond kitsch and is generally engaging – at times riveting – based primarily on the backs of the solid casting.  The kids in particular are phenomenal and hilarious, Winona Ryder is fanatical in her role while not crossing the line into overacting, and the lead cop is gritty and believable (even if his plotline sometimes isn’t).  Certain of the storylines didn’t work for me and I vastly preferred the first half of the season to the second, but I still wanted to see it through to the end; the nostalgia alone is worth it.  Makes me want to write my sci-fi, but there’s too much historical fiction and fantasy to get through first.  :)My next "narrow window" show isThe Night Ofon HBO.  So far, so good, though not blown away after two episodes.  Interesting that Gandolfini was supposed to be the lead defense lawyer instead of John Turturro.

The Bulls of War Hits the Top 50 on Amazon!

The Bulls of War Hits the Top 50 on Amazon!Wait, top 50 on Amazon?  Top 50 in what, exactly?  Well, take a look:So considering the influence that Imperial Rome had on the development ofThe Bulls of War, this is pretty neat to see.  And given that the book was written with joy by a Greco-Roman history fanatic, it's good to see that readers in that vein are having the same impression!Next step - Top 50 in the Fantasy category overall... 664 spots to go...

D-Day+8 Musings (and a Random Civil War Note)

D-Day+8 Musings (and a Random Civil War Note)One week in and things continue to progress, as these stream of consciousness musings reflect:- I've met or corresponded with some great people both offline and among the book blogging communities, and fully expect that to continue (and if I haven't spoken with you, feel free to say hello!)- I've also earmarked some conventions in the coming months, which I hope to detail further in the near future- Harnessing the power of strategically placed online ads and adjusting on the fly has been one of the more unexpectedly interesting parts of this experience.  Even as someone who is fairly well-versed with computers and (basic) web design and structures, e-commerce was a bit of a mystery, especially when directed towards the marketing of a book.All that said, August should be even more exciting - and if it coincides with a return to actually writing again, so much the better!As a completely unrelated aside, I had the pleasure of sitting down and rewatching part of Ken Burns'The Civil Warseries from 1990 (can't believe that's 26 years ago).  Just an absolutely astonishing program and one that should be required viewing in American curricula.  I say that, of course, from the perspective of a Civil War buff, but even aside from from satiating folks like me, it was and remains a triumph of artistic presentation as well.  From the way they brought 150 year old pictures to life through a simple panning technique to the quality of the voiceover work, it's truly a masterpiece.  Some of the quotes are veritably haunting, not the least of which is one from the opening minutes:"We have shared the incommunicable experience of war.  We have felt, we still feel, the passion of life to its top.Our hearts were touched with fire."-Oliver Wendell HolmesAs I understand it, the quote is actually drawn from two of Holmes' (a three-year veteran of the war and later a U.S. Supreme Court Justice) speeches, one known asThe Soldier's Faithfrom1895(red font), the other from1884 (blue font).  The context of the former - given at a time in which the guns of the Civil War had been silent for some three decades - is equally poignant:"As for us, our days of combat are over.Our swords are rust. Our guns will thunder no more.The vultures that once wheeled over our heads must be buried with their prey.Whatever of glory must be won in the council or the closet, never again in the field.I do not repine.We have shared the incommunicable experience of war;we have felt, we still feel, the passion of life to its top."What a linguist.Credit for the text of the speeches (click the links that follow or the years in the text above to view):http://www.people.virginia.edu/~mmd5f/memorial.htmandhttp://www.people.virginia.edu/~mmd5f/holmesfa.htmCredit for the picture: By Excel23 (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

Week 1 (D-Day+4)...

Week 1 (D-Day+4)...Well, it's been an exciting and very busy week following Sunday's launch ofThe Bulls of War, but also quite fun.  Clicking "Publish" onAmazon, of course, was the easiest part of the week (not counting the rigorous e-formatting gymnastics for the moment), as the marketing apparatus had to swing into motion at the same time.  In hindsight, I would probably have lined up a little more of the marketing side of it pre-launch, given the frenetic pace of these first few days, but you live and learn.  In any event, I'm hoping to share some exciting news in the coming days and weeks, and at the very least post some early reviews.  If you've had a chance to check out the book, I'd love to hear from you.Going hand in hand with the above is getting thiswebsite off the ground.  I'll be the first to plug my host here, as they make it a really intuitive, user-friendly process.  Your comments on the site are welcome.Quick note - for those in the Goodreads and OnlineBookClub communities, you can find me there as well.  My Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon info is on my contact page, right next to the pseudo-email form.  Can't miss 'em.Author, webmaster, marketer, serial poster, grillmaster (kinda).  Plus my day job.  Busy times.

Writing Historical Fiction vs. (kinda) Historical Fiction - Part I: A Common Source of Inspiration

Writing Historical Fiction vs. (kinda) Historical Fiction - Part I: A Common Source of InspirationI've mentioned elsewhere on this site just how different the experiences were in writingBulls of WarandFortress of the Sun,and thought I'd use my initial blog posts to explore that a bit further.  This will be part of a recurring series, not necessarily in linear fashion. - EMTI never thought my first itch to write about the ancient world would materialize asBulls of War.To me,BoWwas simply meant to be a fantasy in the truest sense of the word and genre, with no ties or connections to the world we know or the history she's seen.  Nevertheless, it became apparent rather quickly that while the story may not have been of this world, the interests of her author certainly were, and for better or worse (I believe the former, of course!), those interests informedBoW's universe.I've been enamored with Greco-Roman history for some time.  Some may say (okay, have said) I'm a bit obsessed with it, and I would be hard-pressed to deny or be offended by it.  I count my experiences amidst the ruins of Greece and Italy among the best I've ever known - the grounds of the Colosseum, the Palatine Hill, the ghostly streets of Pompeii, the sanctuary of Delphi, the castle of Corinth.  They're all unique, all magical in their own ways.Thus, when I put pen to paper (or keys to screen?) onBoW, whether I was aware of it or not, the images of those magical places stood in for much of Andervold, at least those parts with respect to the Rokhish Empire.  So too did the constant political intrigue and turmoil of the Late Empire provide inspiration for the frenzied state of Andervold in the 383rd year Post Cataclysm.  Plenty more would have looked familiar to a Roman of noble birth in the second or third century A.D., be it the soldiery, the breadth of the realm, the military acting as a literal and figurative backbone of the Empire, etc.With fantasy, of course, one isn't bound or confined by actual events, nor does the reader run the risk of already knowing "what actually happened."  Characters are free to walk along roads familiar to history just as much as they may take the nearest detour and even descend into the directly counterfactual.  The story can move out of one source of inspiration, pull from another, or perhaps deviate entirely.  It's that freedom, I found, that marks the biggest distinction between writing historical fiction and fantasy.  Well, that freedom and the staggering hours of research required for historical fiction.This certainly isn't a profound statement or sentiment, but I recall its simplicity hitting me within a few paragraphs into theoutlineofFortress of the Sun, let alone the novel itself.  Whereas the characters ofBoWor certain aspects of the realm may have drawn inspiration from the historical record, inFortress, they had to mirror that historical record.  And to me, at least, mirroring means canvassing every aspect of the inspiration, from the terrain upon which characters walked, to the climate, to the items in  marketplaces, to the swords theY bore, to the dialect they spoke, to the gods they worshiped, to which city-states hated who and why and for how long, etc., etc.  Historical fiction is the closest we will ever get to a time machine, and if an author is going to make that trip worthwhile, if he or she is going to immerse the audience in that time and space, the homework must be done.Hence, my hundreds if not thousands of pages of notes and dozens upon dozens of books, articles, and webpages dedicated to the study of Ancient Greece.  I recall reading on Steven Pressfield's website at one point, Pressfield's opinion as to when a writer of historical fiction has done 'enough' research - it's when the writer starts catching the mistakes of the very primary source authors he or she is studying.  I hope my paraphrase does it justice, as that maxim stuck with me ever since; the sensation of needing to "read just one more article..." about x-y-z area(s) of Ancient Greece is one that is omnipresent throughout the drafting of the novel, one that can very easily and often does overpower the need to actually, you know...Write the story.More to come...

Welcome!

Welcome!In connection with completing my two novels, the epic fantasyThe Bulls of War (Chronicles of the Andervold Thrones, Book I), andFortress of the Sun, a historical fiction about the battle of ancient Corinth, I welcome you to my new site and blog.  I invite you to check back often, as I will be providing updates on the novels, including the release of excerpts and appendix items not hitherto made available.  Short stories in these two worlds (and beyond) are sure to follow as well.